


the one where bucky is angry with steve because he's a selfless punk

by prattery



Category: Captain America (Movies), Captain America - All Media Types, Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Fluff, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Post CA:TWS, Post-Captain America: The Winter Soldier
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-07-25
Updated: 2014-07-25
Packaged: 2018-02-10 08:59:40
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,195
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2019033
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/prattery/pseuds/prattery
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>This is not what Steve expected when Bucky regained his memories.</p>
            </blockquote>





	the one where bucky is angry with steve because he's a selfless punk

“Remember who you are.”

There is a bright flash of blue followed by an explosion of pulsing energy, hurling both Steve and Bucky in opposite directions and crashing into the wall with a loud _thump_.

Steve doesn’t know how much time passed, but the next time he opens his eyes, he can see Bucky sitting on the opposite wall, eyes fixed unwaveringly on him. Steve winces and brings up a head to touch the lump on the back of his head. “Bucky?” He asks, and his voice is so, so hopeful and is that a trace of fear Bucky hears?

“Steve?”

Steve stands from where he is slumped against the wall and walks cautiously towards Bucky. “Bucky, are you hurt?”

“No,” His leg is possibly sprained, but it’s nothing worth fussing about, anyway. “Are you?”

“No,” Steve tells him, despite the persistent throbbing on the back of his head and an ache in his chest, likely to do with the whole Winter Soldier ordeal rather than any serious physical injury. (Okay, maybe he’s very slightly concussed, but he isn’t about to let Bucky know that). 

Bucky knows that Steve, too, is lying (with the way he moves, he probably has two broken ribs)—but he decides against calling him out on it. He remembers everything, now, and the weight of everything he did is beginning to come crashing in. He remembers everything, including what his very dead, very evil handlers told him about Steve’s fate a lifetime ago, and what Steve just did right now (or, to be more precise, what he did _not_ do). Suddenly, he is very angry.

Steve slides down the wall to sit next to Bucky. “Are you—?”

Bucky crosses his arms. “Don’t talk to me, I’m mad at you,” His face is stern.

Steve freezes and proceeds to think of all his failures—failing to catch Bucky’s hand, or to find him, after—to save him from this fate. He looks down. “Alright,” He says, and he sounds resigned. Wouldn’t even defend himself against Bucky, not even now. “I understand.”

Somehow, this just makes Bucky angrier. He looks right into Steve’s eyes, and now Bucky’s eyes are positively blazing with anger. Steve is relieved to see emotions back in Bucky’s eyes, that he couldn’t be too upset. “No, Steve, I don’t think you do.”

Steve did not say, “I thought you weren’t talking to me?” and instead steadfastly refuses to meet Bucky’s eyes. “I should’ve reached further.”

Bucky stops short. Yes, he is angry (just bordering on this side of furious, actually), but not for reasons Steve is likely to be thinking about. He wonders if Steve has been harboring these thoughts all along.

Steve’s voice is so earnest and full of self-loathing that for a moment there, Bucky feels terribly guilty for reasons other than murdering dozens of people under orders. He quickly reminds himself why he’s angry with Steve (even though right now, all he wants to do is cling onto Steve and never let go, preferably ever), and it’s definitely not because Steve failed to stop him from falling from that godforsaken train.

“You think I’m angry with you because you let me fall?” He asks instead, even though putting it like that may seem a bit harsh because he did see Steve try his best to catch him (if he had tried harder, it’s likely that Steve, too, would fall—and he can’t have that.) “Look. What happened to me is not your fault. Okay, Steve?”

“If I—“

“No, I fell. And _they_ did this to me. Not you.  Which reminds me—Steve, you’re a goddamn fucking idiot.”

Steve splutters. This is definitely not what he had expected. “Excuse me?”

“You—“ Bucky shakes his head. “I could’ve killed you that day on the helicarriers.”

“But you didn’t—“

Bucky glares at Steve to shut him up. “You could’ve died. I would—” He falters. His voice has gone quiet.

“Bucky—“

His hands begin to shake. He looks down. “I shot you. You wouldn’t even fight me. You wouldn’t lift a finger against me.” Bucky chokes. “You would’ve let me kill you.”

Steve cups Bucky’s jaw, tilting his chin up to make Bucky meet his eyes. “I wasn’t gonna hurt you, Buck.”

“Yeah, you’d rather die,” He says wryly. It’s astounding, really, and rather great in significance.

“You weren’t going to kill me, Buck,” Steve says, and there is confidence in this voice, like he trusts Bucky not to. “I know you weren’t. And that man on the helicarrier—that wasn’t you.”

“That is not the point!” He maintains, voice climbing in pitch. “The point is, you have no regards for your own life, and I’m not okay with that!”

“What was I supposed to do, fight you and possibly hurt you?” Steve scoffs.

“Yes!”

“That was not an option,” Steve asserts, and his voice is very firm.

Damn, how could he ever forget just how stubborn Steve is? “Damn it, you should’ve fought back! You could have died!”

“But I’m not, Bucky, look, I’m hale and hearty—“

“—No you’re not, you have broken ribs and possibly concussed, I can tell—“

“—You didn’t kill me, you fished me out of the Potomac—Bucky, you wouldn’t even let me drown—“

Bucky surges forward, capturing Steve’s mouth, which parted wider in surprise, and apparently, this is what it takes to shut Steve up.

“You could’ve died, Stevie,” Bucky says, and his voice is so small, as if the fight has left him entirely. “On top of everything I’ve done. I would’ve killed you, too.” His chest is heaving, eyes wild, seeking Steve’s face. “How d’you suppose I’d ever live with that?”

Steve leans forward, lips pressing against Bucky’s damp forehead. The gesture is incredibly gentle. His eyes are soft. “You won’t have to find out. I promise.”

“You can't promise me that. You never know what the world's gonna throw at us.”

“You’re right.” Steve says. “I don’t. But I know you. I trust you.”

“That’s because you’re stupid.” Bucky can’t help but remark, “You and your bleeding heart, Rogers, I swear.”

“Yeah, well.” Steve shrugs. He rises to his feet and reaches out to Bucky to help him stand. “Come on. They’re waiting for us outside.”

Bucky takes Steve’s hand. “Who’s ‘they’?”

“You’ll see,”

“Don’t play mysterious with me, Rogers,” Bucky rolls his eyes. “Also, just because you kissed me, it doesn’t mean that I’m done being angry with you, just so you know—”

“As I recall, _you_ were the one who kissed me.” It’s Steve’s turn to roll his eyes now (and honestly, who would’ve thought that Captain America is capable of rolling his eyes?). Steve doesn’t let go of Bucky’s hand, even though Bucky is now standing. And it helps that Bucky’s not letting go, either.

“—Then your recollection is faulty, probably due to old age, and we’re gonna have plenty of talk about other stupidly selfless decisions you’ve made, like how you put that plane in the water and died—“

They are nowhere near done with their mountain of issues, but for now, they are hand-in-hand and facing the world together, and it’s going to be okay.

**Author's Note:**

> this ended up way more lighthearted than it's supposed to be
> 
> unbeta'd, all mistakes are mine
> 
> thanks for letting me share!!!


End file.
